reflections on 11

so, as i sit here, eating popcorn and watching Say Yes to the Dress, (which has become somewhat of a friday night ritual, dang you TLC wedding fridays) I can't help but think about where I was a year ago (lets be honest, probably wearing what I am wearing now-my favorite k-state sweatshirt, which I was for sure wearing two years ago)...and if you asked me then if i thought I would be living in Norman Oklahoma, home of the sooners, and working at Old Hat, I would have told you HAHA NO. and probably said some bitter/sarcastic/clever remark...i've become pretty good at those.

so let me tell you about my two thousand eleven.
I brought in the new year surrounded by friends at candince and eric's wedding-which was so fun. great people, great dancing.
I continued my internship at the NAIA, and soon came March and the basketball tournament we had been preparing for the whole year.
...that is when i got food poisoning.  Now, food poisoning might be the worst thing you could ever get. (besides a terminal illness I suppose). I was alone in my apartment, roommate and mom out of town--but luckily my dad took me to the hospital and sat with me while i was hooked up to an IV for a couple hours.

In april, I turned 23 (my michael jordan year) and decided this year i was going to be edgy. Now, a lot of people were all like "what does that even mean?" and so I did this:

boom. edginess. and I have not regretted it once.

then my internship ended and i got to move down to the NAIA Eligibility Center. I got to know the people at the NAIA and had some pretty fun and epic nights hanging out with them. The summer went by so fast! but this might be the highlight.. NKOTBSB concert with pooler.










this is her face after she sang with jordan knight. it was epic.

then in july, I finally got a brother in law! my sisters wedding was perfect and beautiful and so.much.fun. she looked so pretty







and I caught the bouquet. don't worry, everyone got the scouting report...they knew what they were up against.


Then in August, this tweet changed my life.

read about that here

So-I packed up my cute little car chester, and headed south to start my life in Norman, Oklahoma. 

I traveled all around oklahoma, kansas and texas in the months following my move. 

my bestie got married...

and I loved being a part of her special day. 

I can't believe Christmas is already over and we are starting in on 2012. I had a wonderful Christmas-where each year, I am blessed with great family time and presents. 2012 will be a year full of ice cream and coffee thanks to my new ice cream maker and keurig. 

2012, although starting off with a low key weekend where I will get to play a little golf and spend the weekend reflecting on my year, the start of it is going to to be full of friends coming to visit. I get to go to the Cotton Bowl, then get to see k-state ichthus folks when they come to OKC on a little trip, then all my favorite boys are coming down for a weekend full of basketball. and more friends are coming down in the following weekends!

I am so blessed with everything, and I am continued to wonder why God blesses some in the way he does, and why some are not. But I am learning about things I need and don't need, and hope to share my blessings with people who deserve them. 

I am not sure what the year 2012 will bring. I can't even begin to think about what God has in store for me. Will I make friends in Norman? Will I find a church? I am sure that God will give me what I need in his time, and for now, I will continue to reflect on what God has given me and praise him for everything. 

I am not sure what my 24th year will be. i've had years of sassiness, edginess, and (some say) bitterness.. but I have 4 months to figure that out..I'll keep you posted.

Hope you had a great 2011 and here is to a great 2012! cheers.  

chick flick life

so.
i have decided my life is a chick flick. or...is going to be.

most every chick flick, the girl lives alone, has a sweet job, and a cute apartment.
and then they have a best friend side kick.
and then a boy.

so, i live alone, have a pretty sweet job and a very cute apartment. (well its on its way to be really cute)

i'm working on getting a best friend side kick..
and then comes the boy part...how will it happen? here are some situations i came up with based on chick flicks i have recently watched:

• will we meet online, not tell the other person any personal information and then meet in person and not know that we are falling in love online. (chance of this happening-slim to none, because of technology-too many ways to find out who is who)

• will i decide to take a vacation and house swap with someone across the world and fall in love with her brother? (chance of this happening-slim to none, i have no money to do such a thing, or vacation days for that matter)

• will i be in a ton of weddings as a bridesmaid and have a newspaper writer fall in love with me, but then write a story about how many weddings I have been in and I will hate him until I realize I love him? (chance of this happening-slim to none. Yes, I go to a lot of weddings, but i don't know that any of them have newspaper writers there)

• will i be that girl that is someones "dream" girl and spend 500 days with them before breaking their heart  and finding another guy? (Chance of this happening-slim to maybe: but I don't think I will ever be someone's dream girl and there is no way i would dump a cutie like Joseph Gordon-Levitt)

• will i get hit on by a very attractive womanizer who i don't give the time of day to until it is raining and I find him in the bar and run up and kiss, and then spend the night talking and falling in love? (chance of this happening: possible-i would kill for a dramatic "run in and kiss him" moment and to spend the night talking about anything and everything)

well. so. i don't think that any of those are going to be my  "chick flick" but i am convinced that i will have a great story on how i meet my dream man. cause i always have great stories for things like that.

props to whoever reads this and can figure out which movies i am talking about..

busy

my life in oklahoma:

work.
watch friends. (probably the best show ever created)
sleep.
repeat x5.

my weekends.
this weekend: stillwater
next weekend: manhattan
next next weekend: stillwater
next next next weekend: kc for my best friends wedding!
next next next next weekend: norman
next next next next next weekend: kc for thanksgiving

life in oklahoma is great, very busy.

there's my update. how you doin?!

bobo's chicken.

last night i experienced a true oklahoma gem. bobo's chicken. yes, it's only open on friday and saturday nights from 8 to whenever they want to close, and yes, it may not be in the best place in town, but oh my goodness it was to die for.

all week at work i heard about bobo's. "first they smoke it, then they fry it, then they pour honey all over it" but words do not do this chicken justice. it is incredible. so, on friday night at 8:30, us old hatters left norman for downtown OKC, and bobo's chicken. We stood in line, smelling the deliciousness, waiting for our chance to tell Bobo what we wanted. I ordered a 4 piece, but to my surprise, i ate four pieces and still had four left. (Bobo isn't good at counting, but i'm not complaining.)

after we each got our chicken, we drove to bricktown to eat in a parking lot. in the back of a pickup. yep. classy. but it was good. sooo good. and the leftovers were just as good.

awesome.

love from oklahoma,
tricia

new life.

friends.

I have moved. I have my stuff, and I am starting to settle in. It has been a crazy week for me. i moved down on monday, found a place and started working on tuesday. I got my cute little apartment on wednesday and stayed on a air mattress until my mom brought down all my stuff on saturday. work/moving/getting settled has kept me busy for the past week, and it is weird when i start thinking that i moved here. there is no end date for my job (at least lets hope so..) but i am, like a real adult now! I am looking forward to seeing what God has planned for me here, because I know that this is where I am supposed to be, the way things happened, I know that it is right. Now I just need to find a good, solid church to get involved in and keep me spiritually fed and provide me with community and relationships that will help me feel more at home here in Norman. The job is going great, I think I have started to get a hang of things and get in the groove of what I need to do, although I know I still have a lot of learning still to do. ..but to give you a glimpse into my Monday, just think of when you used to play dodgeball..

yes. at work today, we played dodgeball as a team building exercise..and we watch arrested development at lunch. what up.

ok, here is a little glimpse of my life in Norman.

Kitchen. Love it, I will be cooking a lot. (freshly made warm brownies are currently on the stove..come visit, will ya?)

TV, with antenna, yes, i finally have a salary, but I will not pay for cable.

Closet. for the first time in 5 years, I have a closet that I can walk in. #totaljocomove

so yes, my life has drastically changed, and I don't think it has fully hit me yet, so I'll keep you posted when it does. 

love from oklahoma.

tricia

new life.

refer to last post.

see you there.

i refuse to settle.

on a job i hate

on a man that isn't worth it

on a life full of things i am not happy with.

because i am good enough.

for the job i love

for a man that loves me the way God made me

for a life that is full of happiness and success.

i refuse to let the fact that i am moving back home tell me that i am not good enough.

and i am thankful that i have parents that will welcome me back, and encourage me to keep pursuing the life i deserve.

and i know, that eventually, i will look back at this time and know that the path i took only made me stronger.